Article I: Name

The name of this non-profit, non-government organization is Asian Shakespeare Association, hereinafter referred to as the “Association.”

Article II: Language

The official language of the Association is English. All meetings of, presentations at, and announcement or publications from the Association are rendered in English. Other languages are optional, but English must always be provided.

Article III: Purposes

The purposes of the Association shall be:

To hold biennial conferences, at an Asian location;

To publish and facilitate the publication of Shakespeare studies;

To foster research networks and projects, publications on the subject, academic programs, and exchanges;

To collaborate with performance groups, research institutes, and national or international Shakespeare societies;

To keep its members informed of developments in its field of studies, to maintain the website www.AsianShakespeare.org, and to publish an e-newsletter;

To operate and maintain the Association independently from any government or private organizations; and

To operate and maintain the Association exclusively for educational purposes.

Article IV: Members

Membership is open to dues-paying individual Shakespeare scholars, students, and theatre practitioners of all nationalities.

Member fees are to be decided by the Executive Committee.

The Association, through its Executive Committee, reserves the right to revoke or deny membership with just cause.

Article V: Government

The management of the Association’s affairs and finances shall be vested in an Executive Committee consisting of nine members, who should be Members of the Association.

To reflect Asia’s diversity, no more than two Executive Committee Members should come from the same country.

The Executive Committee shall meet at such times and places as they may themselves appoint.

The Executive Committee shall be elected every three years by ballot of the membership. Members shall be eligible to stand for re-election.

The Executive Committee shall appoint from amongst its members a Chair and two Vice-Chairs.

The Executive Committee shall assign a Treasurer.

A majority vote shall decide all questions.

A postal vote or online vote, when necessary, can be taken on any matter of policy.

In the case of equality of votes, the Chair or in the Chair’s absence, the Vice-Chair, shall cast the deciding vote.

No Executive Committee Members shall receive compensation for any service they may render to the Association. However, Executive Committee Members may be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

Article VI: Office

The Association’s preparatory office is in Taipei, Taiwan.

The Association has a permanent office, whose location is decided by the Executive Committee.

Article VII: Conference

Bids for hosting a conference should be presented to and voted upon by the Executive Committee.

All major elements of the conference—conference theme, conference dates, keynote speakers, invited speakers, performances, panels, and registration fees—must be approved by the Executive Committee.

Conference organizers are solely responsible for financing the conference through collection of registration fees and through any government or private sponsorship.